Blistering Fever
by kazoquel4
Summary: "But he's IMMORTAL!" screamed Tooth. "He can't die!" Jack Frost is attacked and left unconscious in the desert. When the other Guardians find him, he is clinging to life and very sick. Will they be able to help him before it's too late? Light JackxTooth
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians, no matter how much I wish I did.

**Chapter 1**

Jack Frost hated Pitch.

Hated him with every fiber of his being.

The spirit had tried to kill everyone Jack loved; Jamie, the kids, the Guardians- he had even tried to kill Jack on multiple occasions. And the guy had tried to stop _fun_, smothering it with his darkness and nightmares. He just wasn't a good guy.

Jack and the Guardians had defeated Pitch a few months ago, and all seemed pretty peaceful. Jack was now a permanent member of the Guardians, and he was often seen visiting the town of Burgess to play with Jamie and the other kids to help defeat Pitch. But there were still a few complications, even with the Nightmare King gone.

His minions, the Fearlings, were still hiding in the recesses of the world, in the darkest shadows. Once in a while one would venture out and attack the Guardians, angry over the defeat of their master and the slaughter of many of their kind. They were weak, though, just as Pitch himself was, and the Guardians took them down easily.

Still, it was incredibly annoying.

Jack was currently flying over the Sahara desert, heading up to the North Pole. He had taken a bit of a detour to Africa out of pure boredom, and was now ready to get back to annoying the yetis and causing havoc among the elves.

North had offered Jack a permanent home at the North Pole shortly after joining the ranks of the Guardians. Jack had been hesitant at first, but after much insistence, had given in. Honestly, he wasn't there all that much, due to his wandering nature; but it was still extremely nice to be able to return somewhere after a long day, to have a place to call home. Jack hadn't had a real home for over three hundred years.

It was mid-afternoon, the height of the day's heat. Jack was seriously starting to regret flying over the desert, even if it was a short-cut. Why hadn't he just flown over the ocean? It was much cooler.

Being the embodiment of winter, Jack didn't like heat. At all. He could stand it to a certain degree, but eventually he couldn't take it anymore and had to get out. He didn't even want to imagine what would happen if he had to stay in it for a long period of time. Perhaps he would melt, like that green lady in the movie about the witches. Jack had seen that movie once, the ending of it at least.

While he entertained that thought in his head, Jack didn't notice the black dust swirling behind him. It came as a big surprise when he was suddenly struck from behind, sent tumbling forward to the earth.

Jack felt his staff slip out of his pale hand as he hit the sand, tumbling head over heels before coming to a stop. Coughing up the sand he had inhaled and trying to blink away the dizziness the fall had caused, Jack sat up. His eyes frantically searched for his staff, and he felt relief settle over him as he spotted it lying a good six or seven feet away.

Jack climbed shakily to his feet, ready to grab it before he was attacked again, when a black horse landed in front of him. It was made of dark swirling sand, glinting evilly in the bright, hot sun. The horse bucked in the air wildly, swiveling its head to look at Jack.

"Not again," moaned Jack, backing up. Normally he didn't mind fighting Fearlings; saw them as something of a sport, actually, but he was standing in the middle of a desert with his staff lying on the other side of the Fearling. Could this day get any worse?

Jack was trying to gather his thoughts together, getting ready to make a dash for the staff, when the spirit struck. Hitting Jack hard in the shoulder with a dark hoof, Jack stumbled back, crashing to the ground yet again.

"Ouch," muttered Jack, touching his shoulder. There was a deep cut there, oozing deep red blood. It looked terrifying against Jack's pale skin, and Jack stared, fascinated at seeing his own blood. He saw so little of it it was quite amazing when it happened, even though it was extremely painful.

Jack was pulled out of his musings as he jumped out of the way of another hoof. Jack dove for the shepherd's crook, only to be knocked out of the air again by the horse, one hoof catching his stomach, the other clipping his head- _hard_. Jack fell, clutching his stomach and blinking slowly, eyes unfocused. Stars popped up in front of his eyes, but he shook them away just in time to roll to the side, narrowly avoiding becoming a Jack Pancake.

Struggling to his feet, Jack made another dash for his staff, his head throbbing painfully. This time, when he was knocked down, his hand fell only inches away from the powerful stick. Hand scrambling blindly in the sand, Jack stared as the Fearling turned, catching sight of the defenseless winter spirit.

It attacked.

Jack grabbed hold of his staff.

He shot backwards, escaping the Fearling. He winced as his head gave another painful throb, and he aimed the staff at the Fearling. He shot a jet of ice at the horse, but it ducked out of the way, leaving the snow to melt in the hot air.

Jack could feel the bottom of his feet blistering on the burning sand. To his dismay, he felt a bead of sweat form on his brow, then another. That shouldn't be happening. He was _Jack Frost. _He didn't sweat!

But Jack could feel the heat weakening his powers. He had been virtually sun-tanning, lying in the sand for two long. And that blow to the head had taken quite a bit out of him. All in all, Jack wasn't quite feeling up to his peak performance today.

Jack's ragged breathing tore through the air as he shot ice and snow at the Fearling, each attack weaker than the last. Jack felt fear clutch at his stomach. What if he couldn't do it…?

That last thought sent a new type of determination surging through Jack. He leveled his staff at the Fearling, locking it in, and sent one sharp ice dagger at it. Just one. Nothing big or extravagant. Just one little, tiny piece of ice, sharpened to a point.

It did the job.

The dagger hit the Fearling straight in the chest, and with one last whine, it dissolved into nothingness, leaving Jack alone in the desert.

Hot, dry wind tugged at Jack's clothes, ruffling his hair. He stood there, still holding his staff up, panting. Sand was everywhere; in his eyes, in his mouth, coating his feet and scratching at his legs. His head ached, and his shoulder was searing in pain; sand had gotten into the cut, of course. All Jack wanted to do was curl up and sleep, sink into the blissful unconsciousness.

But he knew he couldn't. Clutching his staff, he tried to take off into the air, but he couldn't get more than five feet off the ground before collapsing again. It was as if the heat was pulling him back, keeping him a prisoner in their searing trap. Jack gulped, his throat dry, using his staff as a sort of crutch.

Black spots started swimming around Jack's vision. He felt the world spinning, slowly tilting. He had been in the heat too long, and he was starting to feel its effects. Using the last shred of sanity that he had left, his hand dove into his pocket, scrabbling for something. Finally, his fingers closed around a cool orb, and he pulled it out.

A small snowglobe sat in the center of his palm. North had given it to him, proclaiming, "You get into far too much trouble, Jack!" Jack knew that the Guardians had given it to him because they were concerned, but truth be told, Jack had been completely annoyed when they had first insisted that he take it.

Now he couldn't be more grateful.

He shook it as hard as he could, clenching it tightly. "Help," he choked out. If he could see clearly, he would have seen the snowglobe glow briefly, whisking his message back to the North Pole.

But Jack couldn't see this. He couldn't see much of anything. The globe slipped from his fingertips, falling to the soft sand. His staff followed shortly after, raising a small cloud of dust as it struck the blazing sea of yellow. Not a minute later it was followed by its owner.

The Spirit of Winter sank into unconsciousness, the heat settling over him like a cloud. He was alone and wounded in the middle of a desert, with nothing but the sun blazing overhead to keep him company.

* * *

North was working at his desk, carefully chiseling the last details of his train onto a block of ice. His hands worked slowly and precisely, having done this for many, many years.

He finally finished and set down the chisel with a grin. He placed the train onto the ice tracks, watching it puff off.

He had been perfecting it over the past few months, adding little things here and there, trying to improve it. After long last, he thought he had finally done it. Feeling victorious, he sat back in his seat, watching as the train chugged off into the air, passing the door.

Suddenly, the door was thrown open. The wood struck the train, sending pieces of ice flying in every direction.

"OY!" shouted North, jumping to his feet. He stared disbelievingly at the pile of ice that rested at his feet, then looked up to glare at E. Aster Bunnymund, who had decided to burst into his office and break his carefully made train.

"Oops," said Bunny, wincing as he looked at the broken train. "Sorry, North."

"Tell that to my train," muttered the Russian man, bending down to scoop up the broken pieces. When he had finished, he crossed his arms, looking at the Guardian of Hope. "What is it?" he asked.

Bunny's temper returned as he remembered what he had come to complain about. "Frost made it snow in my warren!" he snapped.

North raised an eyebrow. "I was under the intention he did that all the time."

"He does," said Bunny, frowning. "But… that's not the point! The point is, all my eggs are freezing, as well as me! He needs to knock it off before I go and make him!"

"He is just having fun, Bunny," said North, his eyes twinkling. He got up, walking out to inspect the globe.

"His fun is freezing my eggs!" growled Bunny, following him. "Next time I see him, I'll-"

He was stopped by another light on the globe going on. There were many lights, thousands of them, small yellow ones that showed where the believers of the world were. But this light was different. It was bigger than the rest, and a bright blue. It flashed frantically, on and off, at a very high speed. North caught sight of it out of the corner of his eye and immediately turned to look at it.

"Jack," he muttered.

"What?" Bunny asked, but he was ignored. North ran into his office, and Bunny had no choice but to follow him. "You gonna tell me what's going on?" he asked irritably. North slammed his whole hand on a red button on his desk, and Bunny's eyes shot up. "The Northern Lights?" he asked in disbelief. "Why're you calling the others?"

"Jack is in trouble," North said. He stepped out, opening the door, and hollered, "Get the sleigh ready!" A dozen yetis immediately began suiting up the sleigh.

"Woah, woah, woah," said Bunny. "Hold up. What do you mean, Jack's in trouble?"

"That light on the globe," said North impatiently. "The blue one. I gave Jack a snow globe, and whenever he is in danger and needs our help, it starts to glow."

Bunny felt fear starting to curl in his stomach. He may not like the newest guardian, but he wasn't about to let anything hurt him.

"North?" said a voice. They turned to see Toothiana fly in, wings fluttering too fast to see. A look of worry was on her face. Sandy was quick to fly in after here, in his own sand airplane. He jumped off and turned to frown quizzically at North. "What's happened?" Tooth asked.

"Jack," said North. "He is in danger. Come, to the sleigh!"

He hurried off, and the other three had no choice but to follow him. Bunny quickly filled the newly arrived Guardians on what had happened, and Tooth's worry skyrocketed.

"Oh no," she squeaked. "Oh, I hope he's okay, he'd better be okay, oh please-"

"Calm down," said Bunny impatiently. "That's not helping."

North was already in the sleigh when they arrived, getting the reigns in his hands. Sandy and Tooth followed him without hesitation, but Bunny stopped when he had reached the sleigh.

"Wait a second," he said. "I ain't getting in that death trap."

"We don't have time," growled North. "Get in the sleigh!"

Reluctantly, Bunny climbed in, still grumbling about it. Not a second after his foot had left the ground, North flicked the reigns and they flew off.

"Woah!" said Bunny, tumbling in. Grabbing the sides of the sleigh tightly, he slowly sat up, shutting his eyes and trying not to throw up. He was _not _a flying person.

"Where is he, North?" asked Tooth nervously. She, for one, seemed to have no trouble being hundreds of feet in the air in a rickety old sleigh with a reckless maniac driving them. None at all.

"Sahara Desert," said North gravely.

Tooth let out a squeak, and Bunny frowned sharply. "What's he doing there?" he asked. "He'll melt! If he hasn't forgotten, he is a _winter _spirit!"

"Exactly!" said North. "Jack wouldn't voluntarily stay in a desert for longer than a minute or two. If he had to summon help from there… I don't even want to think about it."

"Maybe this is just a joke," muttered Bunny.

"Not even Jack would joke about this," said North. He pulled out a snow globe, throwing it out in front of him. "Sahara Desert!" he shouted, and the sleigh and all of its occupants were sucked through the portal.

* * *

"We'll never find him in this!" said Bunny. They had just gotten off the sleigh, and were surveying the sand laid out around them.

"He's around here," said North. "That is what the globe said."

"Maybe he moved!" Bunny said. Tooth and Sandy had already flown off, searching. "He can fly, you know. He probably fought off whatever was attacking him and flew off. He's probably back at the Pole already."

North opened his mouth to respond, but they were interrupted as Sandy flew back over to them. He was waving his hands frantically over his head, images appearing over his head too fast to decipher. His eyes were wide, and he looked frantic.

Luckily, they got the message he was trying to send. "You found him?" North asked sharply.

Sandy nodded, and flew off. The other two followed him, and they were quickly joined by Tooth.

Sandy came to a stop, setting down on the ground and bending over a small figure. The others rushed over, and what they saw shocked them.

It was Jack, alright, but he looked horrible. From what they could tell, he was unconscious, his eyes shut tightly. He was sweating buckets, and his skin was even paler than usual, except for dots of red in his cheeks. He was completely covered in sand, and there was a deep cut on his shoulder, coated in the yellow stuff.

"Jack!" cried Tooth, bending down. When she touched him, she jumped.

"What is it?" asked North immediately.

"He's burning up!" said Tooth in disbelief. She felt his forehead, which was extremely warm. "His skin is usually freezing, and now it's too warm even for a human child's!"

"This isn't good," said North, bending down to touch the teen's skin as well. "We need to cool him off."

"Guys," said Bunny, noticing something that made his heart stop.

"Oh, it's too far to the Pole!" said Tooth nervously, not hearing Bunny. "What if he overheats?"

"Guys," said Bunny again, staring at the winter spirit.

"He's already overheating. We have to get him back to the Pole before-"

"GUYS!" shouted Bunny. The other three stopped to stare at him. "Is he… breathing?" he asked.

Wordlessly, they all turned to stare at Jack. Sure enough, he was completely still, unmoving.

"Jack!" cried Tooth, bending over to pound on his chest. "Oh, he's not breathing North, oh no, Jack, please wake up!" she sobbed, tears starting to roll down her cheeks.

"Tooth!" said North, reaching over to pull her off. He, too, had tears starting to pool in his eyes. "We came too late," he said. "We can't help him now."

"But he's IMMORTAL!" shrieked Tooth, beyond condolences. "He can't die, he just can't, oh, Jack, please wake up!" she cried, throwing herself across the teen's body again.

Bunny bent down, gently pulling her off. She turned instead to him, crying against his chest, and he patted her on the back with a giant paw, shutting his eyes so as not to see the body in front of him.

North and Sandy put their heads down in respect, and for a few seconds the only sound was Tooth's muffled tears. Then, they heard a small cough.

Their heads shot up, looking at Jack. The spirit didn't move, then his chest heaved as he coughed again.

They wracked his body, and he curled into a ball, sucking in broken breaths and coughing out the sand that was in his mouth. Tooth was by his side immediately, tears still streaming down her face. She placed a hand on his head, smiling in relief.

"Oh, Jack, it's alright, shhh, you're alright," she said, running her fingers through his white hair.

Slowly, the coughs subsided, and Jack again slipped into unconsciousness. This time, though, his chest rose up and down steadily, and they all knew that he was alive.

"What about that?" said Bunny, almost giddy with relief. "The little bugger's alright! He's too stubborn to go like that," he said, chuckling.

"We need to get him back," said North. "He's still burning."

He bent down to gently take the boy in his arms. He looked so small there, and he weighed slightly less than a feather. North frowned, but didn't say anything, focusing instead on getting back to the sleigh.

They all followed close by, their hearts pumping in their chests. All of them were badly shaken by Jack's near death experience, more than they cared to admit. It had been terrifying, seeing the normally loud exuberant teen so still, un-breathing. It was something none of them ever wanted to see again.

North placed Jack gently in the back seat, and Tooth quickly took the spot by his head, running her fingers through his hair again. Bunny set aside his fear and sat down too, not caring anymore about the height. Now he just wanted to get back to the Pole.

As soon as everyone was ready, North flicked the reigns again. They took off into the sky, the reindeer flying faster than ever, feeling the urgency.

Jack stirred slightly as the sleigh rocked, letting a slight moan escape through his lips. Sandy hovered over, sprinkling some dream sand over the spirit, who calmed down immediately into sleep.

It was a silent and fast ride. Very soon, they were pulling up to the North Pole, and North lifted Jack into his arms again.

"Come," he said, motioning to the others to follow him. They did so without question.

* * *

**A/N: Hehe. I opened Microsoft Word, ready to write another chapter for my other story, and this came out. Not really sure. I have a bit of a writer's block, and I shouldn't really be starting another story, but… oh well. **

**Well, I hope you liked it, if you read it : )**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

As soon as they had arrived, they had rushed Jack up to his room on the top floor of the workshop. It wasn't anything fancy- just a small room including a bed with very thin sheets and an empty dresser. Everything was white except the sheets, which were a pale blue color. It was very cold in here due to the fact that Jack never closed the windows, and snow flew inside when the wind was blowing in just the right direction.

North laid Jack gently on the bed, trying not to move him too roughly, though there was no need to. Jack was still unconscious, dead to the world around him. Bunny set down Jack's staff in the corner, as he had been the one to pick it up as they had rushed away from the desert.

Tooth flew to Jack's side immediately, cupping his pale cheek with one hand and checking his temperature with the other.

"He's still hot," she said worriedly. "He shouldn't be hot! What do we do?"

"Just try to cool him down," said North, looking at the sleeping figure.

Tooth glanced once more at the winter spirit and seemed to strengthen her resolve. She nodded, hovering off the ground. "I'll be right back," she said before flying off at a pace that shouldn't be possible.

A few seconds later she returned, holding a damp cold cloth in her hand. She placed it gently across Jack's head, trying not to wake him up, but the spirit didn't so much as twitch a finger.

"That should help a bit," she said anxiously. "Keep his fever down a little bit."

"What about his shoulder?" asked Bunny, raising an eyebrow at the boy's mangled shoulder.

Tooth turned to North. "Get me a first aid kit," she demanded, going into business-mode

North turned obediently and hurried out into the workshop, returning a few minutes' later with a medium- sized grey metal box. He handed it to Tooth, who laid it down on the bed and clicked open the clasps, raising the lid.

"Get me a bucket of water and some rags," she told Bunny, who bounded off to retrieve them. Tooth examined the contents of the medical kit, nodding once in a while and setting aside certain medicines and a roll of bandages.

Bunny came back in, setting down a large bucket of ice cold water and a pile of rags next to Tooth. Tooth flashed a nervous smile at him. "Now just give me some space," she told them, turning to begin her work.

The other three guardians stepped back, but refused to leave the room. They watched from the edges of the room as Tooth worked.

Gingerly, she worked Jack's hoodie off of him. She took extra care not to let it brush the already irritated cut, lifting it slowly. When it was fully off, she dropped it to the floor then turned to look at Jack, ready to inspect the wound.

"Oh," she said softly, her eyes wide, her fingers stopping where they hovered above Jack's skin.

They had all known Jack was skinny, but without his hoodie, which normally hid his lack of any body fat whatsoever, he looked much, much too skinny. Without his trademark jacket, he was just white skin and bones. You could clearly see his ribs, and his bones clearly jutted out too far. They were all shocked at the state their newest Guardian was in, but they had to overlook it and focus on the more immediate problems- for now at least.

Tooth took a deep breath then started to work. She dipped a white rag in the water, wringing it out lightly to get out excess water. Then she dabbed the shoulder wound with it very lightly, cleaning off the blood. The rag slowly grew red, and Tooth dipped it back into the bucket to clean it and repeat the process until his shoulder was completely cleaned of blood.

The cut looked worse without the blood surrounding it. It was at least six inches long and moderately deep, and looked even more horrible against the white skin. Bunny looked slightly sick; he had never been able to stand the sight of blood or wounds for too long, no matter how tough he tried to appear. Tooth was unfazed, however, and set to work applying salve to the cut without so much as flinching at the sight of it.

When she had finished, she wrapped it with a bandage, circling the tiny shoulder completely to keep it clean.

"There isn't anything I can do about this," she said, examining his stomach and touching it lightly. A huge, ugly bruise blossomed there from where the Fearling had kicked him. "It will just have to heal on its own, unfortunately."

"So he's fine?" asked Bunny hopefully.

Tooth sighed sadly, taking the cloth off of Jack's head. "It's already warm," she said, dipping it back in the cold water. "He has a fever. Normally, that's bad, but for Jack, it could be… well, you know." She was unable to finish the sentence as she placed the now cold rag on his forehead again. "We'll have to see how he feels when he wakes up."

"And how long will that be?" asked Bunny.

"I don't know," Tooth admitted. "We just have to wait and see."

And so, they waited. None of them could make themselves leave; they couldn't even think about abandoning Jack now, when he most needed them. Tooth cooled down his rags whenever they got too warm, which was, unfortunately, very often.

But, eventually, night rolled around. Tooth glanced anxiously out the window where the moon was already rising. "We have to get going," she told Sandy finally, unable to put it off any longer. Sandy nodded sadly, eyes still on Jack.

Tooth turned to North. "You have to change the rags whenever they get too warm," she said, wringing her hands nervously, not liking the idea at leaving the winter spirit, even if only for the night. "Don't let him heat up too much. If anything at all changes, call me immediately._ Immediately._ If he so much as makes a peep, I want to know. Okay?"

"I got it, Tooth," said North, trying to keep from rolling his eyes as he took the rag from her, dipping it in the cold water. "Go. Jack is in good hands. You may see him in the morning."

Tooth nodded, biting her lip. She turned back to Jack, bending over to give him a soft kiss on the forehead. She frowned, standing. "Still too warm," she muttered, gently stroking his cheek. "Goodnight, Jack," she sighed, stepping back reluctantly and lifting into the air.

Sandy made an airplane out of dream sand and hopped into it, preparing to go spread his dreams to all the children of the world.

Together, Tooth and Sandy took off together into the night, glancing over their shoulders until the workshop was out of sight.

"You can go too," North said to Bunny, placing the rag back on Jack's forehead. Bunny shook his head.

"Nah," he said. "I'll stay here. I can't leave the little bugger like this."

North nodded in understanding, and they both sat there, looking at Jack. He looked peaceful for the most part, his face free of tension due to Sandy's dream sand still hovering about him, sending him sweet dreams. But he was still much paler than he usually was, almost entirely white except for the red spots on his cheeks signaling a fever.

"He's so skinny," Bunny muttered, examining Jack's bare chest with dismay.

North sighed heavily. "I doubt he has eaten well in his life," he said. "When he was mortal, times were very tough. His family probably had very little to eat. And since he has become immortal, I doubt he has had much more."

"Yeah, but…" Bunny frowned. "This is ridiculous. I can count his ribs, North. I shouldn't be able to even see his ribs!"

"I know," said North. "And, unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about it just yet. We will have to wait and heal him, one injury at a time.

North picked up the rag again, dipping it in the water then going to replace it back on Jack's forehead. That was when Jack stirred, a sharp frown crossing his young face. He twisted around on the bed, his legs getting tangled in his sheets as he kicked out.

Bunny had jumped when Jack had started moving, not expecting it, and North had been a bit surprised as well, though he was able to hide it much better. They watched as Jack let out a small moan, settling down once more into sleep as his hands dropped lifelessly to the bed.

"He'll be waking soon," North said, taking the opportunity to lay the rag on Jack's head. "Sandy's dreams cannot last forever, and Jack is ill. It won't be long."

"Let's hope Tooth is back when he wakes up," said Bunny. "I'm no good at playing nurse."

North let out a chuckle. "Nor I," he admitted. "Tooth does it well enough for all of us, though. It has been a long time since she has had to look after an ill child. I do believe she's missed it."

Jack stirred once or twice more while they waited for morning, but he never woke up. Once, he half-opened his eyes and made some noises, exciting North and Bunny, but with another moan of discomfort, he had fallen unconscious again.

Just as the sky was beginning to turn pink and the sun started coming up, Tooth and Sandy flew back in through the open window. Tooth set down next to the bedside and bent immediately at Jack's side, fretting over him.

"How is he?" she asked anxiously over her shoulder. "Is he alright? Oh, I was so worried I could hardly focus! Did you change his rags? Did you-"

"He is fine, Tooth," North interrupted before the fairy could get on a roll. "He stirred a few times, but didn't wake up. And yes, we took good care of him."

"Oh," said Tooth, relaxing a bit. "Good." Relieved, she bent down again and pressed her lips to Jack's still warm forehead.

Suddenly, the winter spirit let out a sharp groan, a look of extreme discomfort crossing his face. He seemed to struggle against the sleep for a moment more before his eyes opened groggily, revealing his ice blue orbs, still dazed and confused.

"Jack!" said Tooth excitedly, immediately leaning in close to him and placing a hand on his forehead again. "How do you feel?" she asked earnestly.

"I don't- I don't feel that-" grunted the pale teen, his eyes widening. He swallowed loudly, and he seemed to be trying to keep his mouth shut.

"Tooth," said Bunny warningly, backing up. "Tooth, I think he's gonna-"

Tooth jumped backwards as Jack jerked over to the side of the bed and leaned over it, retching violently. Bunny looked away, gagging slightly as Jack emptied his stomach with horrible pained noises.

When he had finished, he collapsed back against his pillow, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "I don't feel that good," he finished in a hoarse voice. A thin sheen of sweat covered his white face, and his eyelids were drooping.

"You're sick," Tooth said, hovering closer to him again, worry evident in her eyes. "You have a fever. We found you in the desert- what were you doing there?"

"Fearling," Jack muttered, squeezing his eyes momentarily. "It attacked me as I was flying- flying over. Oh, I really don't feel good," he moaned.

"Have you ever been sick before?" asked North.

"Not- not like this," Jack said shakily. "Everything hurts," he said with a groan. "My head, my stomach, my shoulder- and I can barely move. And, oh, my stomach. It feels like someone's inside it doing flips or something. Oh, I really don't like this."

"No one does," said Bunny, turning around again cautiously. He averted his eyes from the vomit on the ground pointedly. "Er- can someone-?" he started.

"Oh, yes- Phil!" called North. The yeti opened the door within seconds, sticking his head in. He took in the scene curiously. "Clean this up," North said, waving to the sick on the floor with one hand.

Phil made a noise of protest deep in his throat, a sort of deep grumbling noise. "Now, Phil," said North firmly.

Still grumbling something in Yetish, Phil disappeared from view and returned a second later with cleaning utensils. Within seconds he had the floor clean yet again and had escaped back into the workshop, obviously trying to avoid getting tasked with any more jobs such as that one.

Tooth sat next to Jack on the small bed, running her long fingers through his snow white hair. Jack shut his eyes, breathing in sharp, shallow breaths and trying to forget about the pain he was in.

"Relax," Tooth said softly, her voice dancing on the air. "Get some rest, Jack. Go to sleep. We'll look after you, don't worry.

"Don't- don't leave," Jack breathed out lightly, already half-asleep.

Tooth's hand paused momentarily in surprise, then she resumed her stroking. "I won't," she promised, emotion thick in her voice. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere, Jack, I promise," she finished in a whisper.

In a few moments, Jack's breathing slowed and evened out, signaling that he had fallen asleep. His grip relaxed, the sheets falling slack as his hands fell.

Tooth didn't cease running her fingers through his hair even after he had fallen asleep, her eyes vigilant on the sleeping teen, taking the promise that she had made to heart.

The other Guardians glanced at each other before standing up together, deciding wordlessly to leave the two alone. They eased open the door as quietly as they could, slipping out one by one to pass the time in the workshop and North's office.

Tooth saw them leave out of the corner of her eye, but didn't turn around. She spoke in a low, calm voice to Jack even as he slept, keeping his calm. "I won't leave you," she said quietly. "I promise."

* * *

**A/N: Alright, I couldn't resist adding in Tooth and Jack. They're just so perfect for each other! Gosh, I am such a hopeless romantic…**

**Thanks so much for reading! Next chapter will be up soon.**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Tooth refused to leave even as the night grew closer. She had contemplated the idea briefly before dismissing it. She had made a promise to Jack, and she wasn't going to break it.

As the sun sank in the sky, Baby Tooth flew in and hovered anxiously at Tooth's shoulder, peering at Jack lying there. She chirped nervously, flying in closer to float by his face, and put a hand to the spirit's cheek. Feeling the heat rising off his skin, Baby Tooth gave a wide-eyed fearful look to Tooth, scared.

"I know, Baby Tooth," Tooth said. "He's sick. He- he has a fever. I can't return to the palace yet. I'm putting you in charge for the night."

Baby Tooth's nervousness increased tenfold at the thought of being in charge for an entire night, and she shook her head violently. Tooth gave her a small, sad smile.

"You can do it," she said softly. "I'm going to be right here if you need my help. I need to take care of Jack. I can't leave him tonight. Will you do this for me?"

Baby Tooth took another glance at Jack, who looked miserable and sick even in sleep, and strengthened her resolve. She flew a little higher and chirped in affirmation, giving a solemn little nod. Tooth's face lit up. She gave Baby Tooth some basic instructions, depending on her fairies to be able to handle themselves for one night.

"Thank you," she said gratefully when she had finished. "You can come back and visit him in the morning."

Baby Tooth gave another little squeak and fluttered down to Jack, pecking him on the cheek before spinning around and flying back out the window and into the cold evening.

Tooth felt odd as the sun set and she didn't leave, instead staying by Jack's bedside. She took his pale, clammy hand in hers and sighed. _Oh, Jack. Please get better._

The door swung open, and Bunny hopped in. He froze when he saw Tooth, his ears quivering as he cocked his head.

"What're ya doing here?" he asked her, shutting the door.

"I'm taking care of Jack," Tooth said simply.

"What about your job?"

"My fairies can handle themselves for one night," Tooth said. "I put Baby Tooth in charge."

"Oh," Bunny said. "Alright."

"What are you doing here?" Tooth asked curiously. "I thought you had to go shovel snow out of your warren'.

"Well," Bunny said, suddenly appearing uncomfortable, "I thought- er, you were going to head back to the palace, so I- um, I came to make sure the kid didn't burst into flames in the middle of the night, 'cause that wouldn't be-"

"You were worried," Tooth realized, peering at Bunny's face. "You were worried about him! Oh, I knew you cared, no matter how much you two fight!"

"Alright, calm down," Bunny growled. "I was worried, okay? I admit it." He came closer, looking at the teen lying there. "How is he?"

Tooth sighed heavily, looking back down at the pale face. "Not good," she said. "His fever hasn't gone down- if anything, it's gone up. I've kept the rags on his forehead, but they don't seem to be doing anything. The windows haven't been shut all day, it's absolutely freezing in here, but that's what he needs. He hasn't woken up at all, but he's been muttering and moving around in his sleep. I guess we'll just have to wait."

Bunny nodded, settling into a chair they had dragged in earlier. "I'll stay with you," he said gruffly. "Frostbite's not much company right now."

"Where's North?" asked Tooth.

"In his office," Bunny said. "Dunno what he's doing, but when do we ever? Sandy went out for the night, said he'll be back in the morning. I saw Phil hiding behind some toys when I came in- guess he doesn't want to get put on vomit duty again."

"He might need to," Tooth said, "at the rate Jack is going."

"As long as it ain't me."

They made small talk for the next hour, chatting about anything that came into their heads. Tooth never released Jack's hand through it all except to change the rag on his forehead a few time, trying to keep him as cool as possible.

Bunny was just in the middle of complaining about how cold it was in the room when there was a loud groan from the bed. They both looked over to find Jack stirring, his eyes fluttering.

Tooth was immediately there, smoothing down his hair and trying to comfort him. Slowly, his eyes opened, and his icy blue eyes peered up at them; but they were dazed, and didn't seem to be in focus.

"Jack?" Tooth asked. "Jack, are you alright? Can you hear me?" Jack didn't respond, turning his gaze instead to the ceiling, staring unblinkingly.

Bunny looked at Jack nervously, shifting uneasily. "What's wrong with him?" he asked in a low voice.

"I don't think he can hear us," Tooth said anxiously, gripping Jack's hand. "It's his fever. He's still mostly asleep."

The teen let out another moan, letting his head loll onto his shoulder. His bleary eyes were still half open, but unseeing, thoroughly spooking Bunny. "Isn't there anything we can do?" he asked.

"I don't think so," said Tooth. She put a hand to Jack's warm cheek. "Jack? Jack, it's me, Tooth. You're alright, we're right here. Can you hear me?"

Jack's only response was a horrible fit of coughing. He doubled up on the bed, coughing violently into the sheets, his shoulders shaking. Tooth rubbed his back, trying to soothe him as he practically hacked out his lungs.

When he had coughed himself out, he collapsed back against the pillows, eyes shut once more. There was a silence in the air while Tooth straightened the sheets around him.

"That was creepy," Bunny said finally, staring at the now still teen.

"He's very sick," Tooth said in a low voice, her teeth clenched and her hands shaking. "I- I don't know-" she trailed off, her heart beat quickening as horrible thoughts occurred to her, filling her with dread. What if Jack didn't get better? What if he died for real this time? She didn't even know if it was possible for a winter spirit to recover from a fever this bad. What if he…

"He'll be fine," said Bunny suddenly, breaking through her thoughts. Tooth looked up, feeling something wet on her face. She realized that tears were slipping from her eyes, but she didn't bother to wipe them off.

"How do you know?" she asked in a thick voice. "How do you know he'll get better?"

"He's Jack Frost," Bunny said. "If he's anything, that kid is stubborn as a mule. He won't let something like this take him down. He won't feel that good for a while, but he'll be up and annoying everyone again in no time, you can count on it."

"Really?" she asked, a hint of desperation tinting her voice.

"Really," Bunny said firmly. "Jackie will be fine, and I'll give him a talking- to for landing himself in a desert and getting sick."

Tooth swallowed heavily and gave him a tight smile, feeling a bit better. "Of course," she said with a sniff, wiping her eyes. "He'll be fine. I'm overreacting."

"She finally admits to it," muttered Bunny.

Tooth laughed, smacking him lightly in the arm. Bunny smirked at her before returning to his seat and flopping down. Tooth turned back to Jack, taking in a shaky breath.

Jack would be perfectly fine. His fever would go down eventually, and he would wake up one day ready to fly again. He would get better and stronger, and everything would go back to normal. He would be okay.

He had to.

* * *

North was in his office, reading his way through a pile of books that he had collected from his library. He read medical books, books on winter spirits, anything he thought would help Jack.

And so far, he had found nothing.

He got all the same stuff from every single book he read: _Blah, blah, blah, keep the spirit cool, blah, blah, snow is good, blah, blah, temperature is bad, blah, blah. _It was infuriating.

North threw the book he was reading against the wall in a fit of temper. It slammed against it, releasing a small puff of dust before sliding to the floor into the pile of books already growing there.

North rubbed his temples with a great sigh. He wanted so desperately to help their suffering guardian, but he couldn't find anything. He was worried about Jack. As the book had repeated (a hundred times) a temperature for a winter spirit is extremely bad. Combine that with all the coughing, headaches, and vomiting, it could be deadly for the teen.

Using the desk for leverage, he heaved himself onto his feet with a groan. "I'm getting too old for this," he muttered, walking over to the door.

He made his way through the workshop and to the staircase that would take him to Jack's room. As he passed by a yeti painting a pile of robots blue, he waved his hand at them all. "No," North said. "Paint them red."

The yeti let out a loud groan and slammed his head down on the table, upturning the paint can he had been using.

North arrived at Jack's door a few minutes later and swung it open, peering inside. Bunny had fallen asleep in the chair. His head hung down onto his chest, his mouth open slightly as he snored. North smiled slightly and cast his gaze further into the room.

Tooth was still sitting at Jack's side, her back to the door. She hummed softly, singing no particular song as she stroked Jack's hair.

North opened the door wide enough to walk in, shutting it behind him with a soft click. Tooth glanced over her shoulder at the noise, alerted to his presence.

"Oh," she said. "You've finally emerged from your office. What were you doing in there?"

"Just some research," North said, walking closer. "Has there been any change?"

Tooth shook her head. "He woke up for a few minutes about an hour and a half ago, but he wasn't exactly here. He couldn't hear us and he didn't seem to hear us. After a bad coughing fit, he fell back asleep and hasn't moved since."

North nodded. "It is probably best. He needs his rest more than anything right now." He eyed Tooth. "And you need to rest too. How long have you been up?"

Tooth shook her head. "I'm fine," she said. "I couldn't sleep even if I wanted to. Besides, I rarely sleep anyways. Teeth need to be collected, you know? I don't exactly get to relax."

North smiled. "I know what you mean," he said, sitting in the last unoccupied chair.

"What research were you doing?" Tooth asked.

North contemplated whether to tell her, but finally decided he didn't want to lie. "Research for Jack," he said heavily, "and his condition. I didn't find much. Just the usual things about temperature and whatnot. I was hoping that I could find something that could help us, something that would instantly cool him down or something."

"It's too bad you didn't find anything," Tooth said sadly. "Heaven knows we could have used it."

"Yes," agreed North. "But we will have to do this the old fashioned way, it appears. Luckily for us, you are an excellent nurse, Tooth."

Tooth laughed. "I'm surprised I even knew what to do," she admitted. "I haven't done anything like this in years. I was half-expecting myself to freeze up like Bunny."

North laughed his booming laugh. Tooth made shushing noises, pointing sternly at Jack, who stirred slightly.

"Sorry," North said in a quieter voice.

"Don't wake him," she scolded. "He needs sleep more than anything right now."

"I told you that!" protested North.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Tooth said, a grin sliding onto her face. North huffed, crossing his arms.

"Everyone steals my brilliant ideas," he muttered, happy that Tooth was perking up again and deciding to enjoy it while it lasted.

"You're a big baby," teased Tooth, lifting the rag off Jack's head and dipping it back into the bucket of water.

"I'm a handsome baby."

Tooth gave another soft giggle and they settled into a comfortable silence, just enjoying each other's company as they cared after their sick friend.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! I've been super busy, with Christmas and everything.**

**Hope you all liked this chapter! I feel so bad for Jack : ( I absolutely loathe being sick, but unfortunately, I've been sick like this before. Not. Fun.**

**I'll try to get the next chapter up soon! I'm leaving on a skiing vacation in a few days, so I'll try to post the next chapter before then.**

**Thanks so much for reading everyone! It would mean so much to me if you would take the time to review!**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"NORTH!" Tooth screeched.

North hurried into the room, his eyes wide. "What's wrong?"

"He's not getting better," Tooth snapped, her eyes brimming with tears. She gently smoothed Jack's white hair back, trying to soothe him.

The winter spirit was still sick. It had been four days, and he was still lying in bed, asleep. He had only woken up a few times, and they had just barely managed to get some food and water into him before he slipped off into unconsciousness. Even when he had woken, he hadn't said a word, silently taking what they gave him and rolling back over to sleep again.

His temperature hadn't gone down, either. If anything, it was rising. Tooth hadn't been back to her palace in days, instead sitting by Jack's bedside and trying to help him get better.

"I know," North said heavily. "I've been searching for something that could help us, but so far, I have found nothing.

"North," Tooth said in a quiet voice, "_is _he going to get better?"

North swallowed the truth down his throat. Jack had been steadily worsening, and truthfully, it would take a miracle for him to get better. But he couldn't say this to Tooth.

"Of course he will!" he exclaimed. "He is Jack Frost, no? A little fever can't keep him down for very long!"

Tooth hesitated before smiling tightly. "Yes," she said. "Yes, of course. I'm sorry for calling you up here, I'm sure you're busy."

"It is no problem," North assured her. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go meet Bunny."

North headed out of the room, feeling warmth return to his limbs once he had stepped out into the hallway. It was below freezing temperature in there upon Tooth's insistence. How she stood it, he had no idea.

North walked down the stairs and into the workshop, seeing the familiar form of Bunny standing there, fingering his boomerang.

"North," said the Aussie immediately as he came up. "How is he?"

North sighed. "Not well," he said. "He hasn't woken up for two days, and his fever is steadily rising. At this rate, it could only be a matter of days before…" he trailed off, unable to say it.

"That won't happen," Bunny said immediately. "I'll make sure of it."

The two walked towards North's office as they spoke. North had a sad look on his face.

"If this sickness continues to plague Jack, there will be nothing we can do about it," he said softly.

"There must be something in the library!" Bunny exclaimed, looking at the piles and piles of books North had discarded.

"Nothing that will help us!" North said. He picked up a leather-bound book, skimming it. "What minimum information I have on winter spirits all says the same thing. And it's not even _useful _information."

"Have you tried talking to Manny?"

"He will not say anything," North said, shaking his head. "It's… frustrating." He took a deep breath. "Where's Sandy?"

"Doing his rounds," Bunny said, picking up a book. He flipped through it, frowning. "There has to be something we can do…" he muttered.

"I wish there were," North said, shaking his head. "I wish there were."

* * *

The day passed by.

Then another.

And still, Jack lay in bed, sweating buckets and having coughing fits frequently. He often twisted in the bed, a pained look on his face, before settling back into sleep.

As Tooth was carefully sponging his face, she noticed something. Jack hadn't coughed for a few hours- in fact, he hadn't moved. He was simply lying there, still, not even a finger twitching.

Feeling trepidation welling up inside of her, she leaned down and put her ear close to his mouth, listening. Relief washed over her when she heard his breathing, but alarm quickly set in. His breaths were short and sounded strained, as if he were struggling to breathe.

Her own heartbeat quickening, Tooth fluttered off the ground and to the open doorway.

"NORTH! BUNNY! SANDY!"

After a moment, all three guardians came barreling in, tripping over one another in their haste to make it in. Bunny was the first to push himself through the doorway, coming to a stop next to Tooth.

"What?" he panted.

"Jack!" Tooth wailed. "He's barely breathing!"

Letting out a sharp gasp, Bunny bent down and laid his furry head against Jack's chest. The other guardians watched apprehensively as he listened.

"His heart is beating," Bunny affirmed, standing back up. "But it's very faint. I could hardly hear it."

"This isn't good," North said worriedly. "If he doesn't get better immediately-"

"Don't say it," Tooth snapped.

Sandy spouted exclamation points above his head, trying to get their attention. When all three had turned to look at him, he made an image of the moon over his head.

"Manny?" North asked, frowning. "We have already asked him. He has nothing to offer."

Sandy shook his head furiously, drawing the moon again.

"It can't hurt to try again," Bunny said apprehensively, shooting furtive glances at Jack. "It's worth a shot."

"Very well," North sighed. "We will try to contact Manny again. I only hope that he has something to offer that will save our friend."

* * *

"Manny," North said in a deep voice, head turned towards the moon. "Please, tell us: Is there anything we can do to help Jack?"

Sandy, Bunny, and North were gathered to speak to the moon. Sandy had skived off on his duties for one night in order to speak with the moon. Tooth had insisted on staying with Jack, refusing to even step out of the room.

For a moment, nothing happened. The three waited with bated breath, not speaking a word. They waited and waited, but the moon did nothing.

Bunny let out a deep sigh. "Well, that was pointless."

His words seemed to set something in motion. A ray of light streamed in through the window, throwing itself on the floor. Without hesitating, North walked up to it and examined it.

"A book," he said, picking it up. "What good does this do? I have searched hundreds of books and found nothing."

"Maybe you weren't looking hard enough," Bunny suggested.

The window flew open, and a strong gust of wind burst into the room. It picked up papers and swirled them around, headed straight towards North.

The book in his hands opened from the sheer force of wind power. The cover flicked open and pages flew by so fast it was a blur.

Finally, it stopped. The papers dropped to the floor, and North was left holding an open book.

Bunny rushed forward and seized it from his hands. "Okay," he muttered, skimming the page. "Blah blah blah useless information blah blah blah…" He stopped, frowning at the book.

"What is it?" North asked, trying to read upside down.

"It says there's another spirit out there," Bunny said slowly, "that focuses on healing. The spirit will heal other spirits of sicknesses when asked and even helps to cure mortal inflictions as well." He looked up at the other two excitedly. "This is the solution! We just have to find this spirit, and he can heal Jack!"

"Where can we find him?" North asked.

Bunny scanned the page. "A forest just outside of China," he read off the page.

North clapped his hands. "Excellent! We shall find this spirit, and he will heal Jack. Let me just go get the sleigh-"

"No way, Santa," Bunny said, stopping him. "_I'm _going to go get this spirit. My holes are faster."

"But-"

"No. You stay here and make sure Tooth doesn't have a meltdown. And you," he said, pointing at Sandy, who was trying to mime the fact that he wanted to come, "you need to get out there and do your work."

Sandy let out a silent sigh but nodded. North grudgingly agreed.

"Alright," he said reluctantly. "You go and find the spirit, and bring him back here as quickly as possible."

"Wow, thanks for the advice," Bunny muttered sarcastically, stomping his foot on the ground. A hole just wide enough for him to jump through appeared at his feet. "Tell Tooth where I'm going," he ordered. "Maybe she'll stop worrying so much."

North nodded in ascent. Bunny bent his legs, ready to jump down, then hesitated.

"North?" he asked.

"Yes?"

"Look after Jack. Just… look after him."

A tiny smile appeared on North's face. "Aw, Bunny. It seems you really do care about him."

Bunny grunted, frowning. "Don't tell him," he warned North. "The kid's already got a big enough head as it is."

North chuckled. "Alright, Bunny. Now go, and return as quickly as possible."

Bunny nodded, shot one last grim smile at the two guardians, and jumped through the hole.

North and Sandy watched as the ground swallowed their friend up, closing behind him. His absence left a ringing silence in the room as they watched the ground quietly.

"We should go check on Tooth," North said softly. "She needs to be informed of this development."

Sandy nodded in agreement and the two hurried out of the room and into the workshop.

LINE BREAK

"There's a spirit that specializes in healing?" Tooth asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just outside of China," North nodded. "Bunny is going to ask him to help us."

Tooth sighed. "Oh, I hope he can help us."

"I as well," North said gruffly.

Tooth gave Jack a small smile, gently smoothing his sheets. "We need this spirit, North," she admitted softly. "Without their help, Jack isn't going to make it." At North's surprised look, Tooth rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, North. Don't think I don't know what you and Bunny talk about behind my back. I know he isn't doing well; you don't have to hide it from me."

North shook his head. "I'm sorry, Tooth. We didn't want to upset you."

"I understand," Tooth said. "But don't keep me out of the loop anymore. I want to know what's going on, and I don't want to be treated as if I can't handle things like this."

North chuckled. "Of course, Tooth."

Tooth bent down to listen to Jack's heartbeat. Was it just her, or was it getting fainter every time she checked?

"Oh, Bunny," she said, more to herself than anything. She bent down and kissed Jack's red cheek, which was burning under her lips. "Please, please hurry. Jack can't hold on much longer."

* * *

**A/N: First off, sorry for the long wait. And sorry for this sucky chapter.**

**I know it's not that fantastic, but I had to start getting the plot moving. What do you guys think of this idea? You'll see who the spirit is next chapter, and if they will actually be able to save our cute winter spirit.**

**And yes, I have a sort of crush on Jack… but who can blame me?**

**Thanks for reading, and I'll try to update faster!**

**Xoxo,**

**Kayla**


End file.
